Great Big Green Week is biggest and boldest yet

THE fourth annual Great Big Green Week in Henley returns next month.

The festival, which is organised by Greener Henley and will take place from June 8 to 16 in locations around the town, will feature activities, talks and workshops exploring how people can tackle climate change and restore nature and wildlife.

The Great Big Green Week is a national initiative that aims to bring communities together to protect the planet and inspire collective action.

On Saturday, June 8, a nature discovery day will be held at Mill Meadows for people of all ages. From 10am to 2pm, there will be a range of drop-in activities including a wildflower walk, butterfly sweep and bug hunt. A wildlife photography session will take place and there will also be a number of conservation groups on-hand to answer questions and look at finds and give information about the area and River Thames.

Free native wildflower seeds will be available and visitors can learn more about the Nature Squared campaign organised by Greener Henley and the Henley Standard, which aims to get Henley residents to plant a total of 500m2 of plants for pollinators.

Outside Pavilion Foods in Market Place, there will be a plant versus beef burger taste test from noon to 2pm, in which people can try both and decide which one tastes better.

Later, the gardening drawing club will be held at Henley Library from 2pm top 4pm, a family-friendly art and gardening session. Booking is required.

On Sunday, June 9, a paddleboard river clean will take place from 10am, in which Warriors on Waste and Go with the Flo paddleboarding will lead a clean up along the River Thames. The event will be ticketed, with the price to be confirmed.

At 2pm, there will be a screening at the Regal Picturehouse cinema in Bell Street of Elephant Mother, a documentary following Thai conservationist Lek Chailert, who takes on the tourist industry to rescue abused elephants, followed by a live Q and A with Ms Chailert. Tickets cost £10.

From 7pm to 9pm in the town hall council chamber, there will be a discussion called Our moral obligation? Faith, climate and displacement with the Bishop of Reading, Olivia Graham, Alex Arnall, associate professor of environment and development at the University of Reading, and Krish Kandiah, the founder of refugee charity Sanctuary Foundation. Tickets are free but booking is required.

On Monday, June 10, a talk called In our hands: our climate future, will be held in the town hall council chamber from 7pm to 9pm. Speaker Chris Merchant, a professor at the University of Reading, will talk about how ingenuity and determination can meet the net zero target and answer questions. Tickets are free but booking is required.

Entries for this year’s Greener Henley poetry competition have now opened, with the theme “Tread gently on the earth”. The poem can be in any format with a maximum of 19 lines and poems will be judged in three Age categories.

The deadline is May 31 and the best entries will be showcased at a reading session in Henley Library on Tuesday, June 11, from 6pm to 7.30pm.

To submit a poem, email ruskinsbooks@gmail.com or post it to Sue Turner and David Williams at Candela 19 Reading Road, Henley on Thames, RG9 1AB, providing your name, age and contact details.

On Wednesday, June 12, a preview and panel discussion of Wilding, based on the book by author Isabella Tree, will be held at the cinema from 8pm to 10.15pm. The book follows the journey of a young couple who rewilded their failing, 400-year-old farmed estate. The event will be ticketed.

On Thursday, June 13, an interactive “Greening your business” workshop will be held for local business owners at the River & Rowing Museum from 5.30pm to 7.30pm, with the aim of helping businesses cut costs, reduce waste and increase customer loyalty. The workshop is free but booking is required.

On Sunday, June 16, visitors can explore the green spaces at Badgemore Primary School in Hop Lane during its open gardens event from 11am to 2pm.

All week long, there will be a scavenger hunt for families, in which 10 different shop windows will display crafted flowers, with the letters inside them spelling out a mystery word.

From May 23 to June 17, the River & Rowing Museum will host an exhibition of local students’ work called Pollution, created in response to Greener Henley’s schools environmental science challenge.

Kate Oldridge, who chairs Greener Henley, said: “Great Big Green Week is a wonderful opportunity for our community to come together to celebrate and stand up for nature and fight climate change.

“We anticipate events to be even more popular this year as people become increasingly aware of the need to protect our planet.

“We can all do something to help — whether that means taking part in our Nature Squared campaign, sharing something you’ve learnt at Great Big Green Week, or asking our local decision-makers to support climate and nature action.

“Let’s make this the biggest and boldest Great Big Green Week so far — so come out and meet us, get involved and take action.”

The festival is being supported by Henley Town Council. For more information on the events and how they can be booked, visit www.greenerhenley.org.uk/great-big-green-week-2024/